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BOYS BASKETBALL: With Two Weeks Until Playoffs, Tensions Rise and Noteworthy Victories are Recognized in This Week’s PCL Round-Up (Jan. 30)

By Rich Flanagan Photos: Lou Rabito, Kathy Leister, Zack Beavers & James Williamson, 02/01/22, 7:30PM EST

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PCL Round-Up Sponsored by Gwynedd Mercy University

Photos/Videos: Zack Beavers, Kathy Leister, Ryan Nix, Lou Rabito, Krystal Williams & James Williamson

By: Rich Flanagan

PHILADELPHIA – It’s officially February, which means the Philadelphia Catholic League playoffs will be tipping off in two weeks with the opening round as the original postseason format returns and a potential trip to the Palestra awaits. We’re heading down the final stretch and seeding is becoming paramount with the top four seeds hosting quarterfinal matchups.

This past week gave us a glimpse into which teams are distinguishing themselves and ready to make a run:

Archbishop Ryan sets program record for points in a game:

A year after losing as dynamic a forward as Aaron Lemon-Warren, Joe Zeglinski is receiving contributions from all over his Archbishop Ryan roster and, on Friday against Conwell-Egan, the Raiders’ scoring prowess was on full display.

Senior guard Luke Boyd poured in a game-high 29 points as Archbishop Ryan dismantled Conwell-Egan, 102-63 and set a program record for points in a game. The 102 points surpassed the previous record, which was set in Dec. 2019 when Archbishop Ryan downed Plymouth Whitemarsh, 90-57 in the Diane Mosco Shootout. Lemon-Warren led the Raiders with 36 points in that game.

Prior to Archbishop Ryan’s 102-point outburst, the last Philadelphia Catholic League team to score 100 or more points was Neumann-Goretti on Jan. 10, 2020 in a 115-86 win.

Boyd drilled five three-pointers while backcourt mate and senior guard Jalen Snead had five points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. Thomas Sorber, the impact 6-9 sophomore big man, added 15 points and seven rebounds and was one of 12 different scorers on the night. Aside from losses to Roman Catholic and Archbishop Wood, the Raiders have been rolling, winning their six league wins by an average of 16.8 points per game.

Over the last four games, Boyd has hit 14 three-pointers and scored 20-plus points in each of the last two games. Sorber has been the most dominant forward in the league, avg. 16.7 ppg, and Snead has been efficient with the ball and stingy at the defensive end. Add in the emergence of 6-4 sophomore lefty Darren Williams, who is avg. 12.5 ppg, and has showcased explosiveness in spurts this season. 

Archbishop Ryan vs. Archbishop Wood - PSD Game Highlights by Zack Beavers:

The Raiders are starting to play their best basketball of the season but still have matchups with four potential playoff teams in West Catholic, Devon Prep, Neumann-Goretti and La Salle to close out the season.

West Catholic gets first win over Neumann-Goretti in nearly two decades:

The Burrs are out to prove they are a team to beat this season but their 70-63 loss to Roman Catholic failed to put the league on notice. Three days later, they entered a matchup with Neumann-Goretti, a team so many programs within the league have been trying to emulate for years but few have even come close. West Catholic saw this as a golden opportunity and seized its moment.

Zion Stanford led the way with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Burrs controlled the game throughout on their way to a 74-59 victory over the Saints. The win secured West Catholic’s first triumph over Neumann-Goretti since 2004. Stanford hit a pair of three-pointers as did Cal State Bakersfield signee Kaseem Watson (10 points). His twin brother and fellow Cal State Bakersfield signee, Kareem had 12 points while junior point guard Adam “Budd” Clark tallied a team-high 19 points, including three treys, five assists and six steals. Shemar Wilbanks-Acqui hit two three-points on his way to 12 points and added six boards, five assists and two steals to give the Burrs its biggest win to date.

Two days later, West Catholic rolled past Cardinal O’Hara, 75-52 behind five players in double figures, spearheaded by Stanford and Clark with 14 points apiece. It gave them seven league wins, their most since matching that total in 2010. Clark also chipped in eight rebounds, three assists and four steals and Stanford dished out six assists of his own. Wilbanks-Acqui accounted for 13 points, eight boards and six assists and East Stroudsburg signee Nasir Griffin scored 10 points.

West Catholic vs. Neumann-Goretti Highlights by Krystal Williams:

West Catholic has proved to be a tough outing, but this team is hoping for more as it inches closer to hosting a quarterfinal matchup.

La Salle hoping to seize on last season’s disappointment:

The Explorers appeared to be locked into the fourth and final spot in the Philadelphia Catholic League semifinals following a win over Devon Prep in the regular season finale. The win put both teams at 8-5 and should’ve vaulted La Salle into a semifinal matchup against Roman Catholic. Unfortunately, due to violations of PIAA transfer rules within Neumann-Goretti’s program, the Tide were given a forfeit victory despite losing to the Saints while the Explorers lost to them in the season opener.

With no postseason berth, the Explorers went back to work and have returned as one of the more formidable teams in the deepest league in the area. Behind a trio of impressive scorers in Army commit Nix Varano, Rutgers football commit Sam Brown and Horace Simmons, who has a plethora of Division I offers, La Salle is off to a 4-2 start to the league season. Brown leads the team at 16.1 ppg and has scored 20 or more points five times this season. In the team’s biggest win of the season so far, a 69-65 overtime victory over the Tide on Jan. 23, Brown had 22 points, Varano hit four three-pointers and ended with 20 points and Simmons posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

In Friday night’s 74-64 win over Father Judge, Simmons nailed five treys on his way to a game-high 28 points and shot 9-for-10 at the free throw line. The versatility and length of the 6-6 Simmons has been felt at both ends of the floor. He corralled eight rebounds against the Crusaders while Varano hit three more shots from deep and scored 19 points while Brown chipped in eight points in his lowest scoring output of the season (had scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games prior). Simmons is avg. 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks this season and Varano leads the Explorers with 34 three-pointers.

La Salle vs. Father Judge Highlights by Zack Beavers:

Senior guard Chris Williams (8.9 ppg) has stepped in and given the Explorers a boost, particularly on the glass. He had 14 points, eight boards and five assists in the win over Devon Prep followed by nine points and seven rebounds versus Father Judge. The guard play has been outstanding but the key for head coach Mike McKee’s group to a potential deep run in the playoffs resides in the front court with 6-7 junior forward Tim Jennings, who has seen extended playing time, and 6-8 junior big man Caleb Bryant, who came into his own a year ago but has battled injuries for much of the season. La Salle will attempt to distinguish itself from the pack with matchups between Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood and Roman Catholic in its next three games.

Notable Numbers:

Jalil Bethea, Archbishop Wood: If the Vikings needed a three at any point in the game, they found ways to get Jaylen Stinson (James Madison) open on the wing or through down screens in the paint.

John Mosco has the same offense designed for the 6-4 sophomore guard Bethea, who is avg. 13.1 ppg. The smooth shooter has hit 45 three-pointers while shooting 39.8 percent from behind the arc this season.

He hit six treys on his way to 27 points against Bonner-Prendergast then five more from deep to finish with 20 points vs. Conwell-Egan. He is within range just inside the halfcourt line and with a flurry of penetrators in Justin Moore (Drexel), Basil Laster, Josh Reed, and others, Bethea is finding space to spot up and knock down shots in bundles.


Archbishop Wood sophomore #10 Jalil Bethea has hit 45 three-pointers this season - PSD Photo by Kathy Leister:

Shawnn Smith, Archbishop Carroll: While it has been a slow start through the first half of the league season, the Patriots could pose a threat to a top contender and Smith is a major reason why. The 6-3 senior and Bishop McDevitt transfer is avg. 8.4 ppg and has created an additional option in the guard-heavy lineup of Moses Hipps, Dean Coleman-Newsome and freshman Jake West.

He had 15 points, including two three-pointers, to go along with five rebounds and five assists in a 67-53 win over Lansdale Catholic on Senior Day. He poured in 15 points in a loss to Archbishop Wood earlier this year and his presence has given Archbishop Carroll a guard who can score and is not afraid to mix it up down low.

Aidan Mondragon, Conwell-Egan: While Niame Scott and Jordan Garrison are having terrific individual seasons for Conwell-Egan, sight shouldn’t be lost on the 5-8 sophomore guard. Mondragon is avg. 10.3 ppg and has been an absolute tear over his last four games. He started this run with a 19-point game against Cardinal O’Hara where he sank four three-pointers. He hit two more treys and scored 12 points vs. the Patriots then hit four shots from beyond the arc en route to 16 points against Archbishop Ryan.

Finally, he scored 12 points in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. The backcourt of Scott and Mondragon gives the Eagles hope heading into latter part of the season and next year, too.

Allen Cieslak, Devon Prep: The Susquehanna University signee and 6-2 senior guard gives the Tide one of the premiere shooters in the area. He hit three treys and poured in 19 points in the overtime loss to La Salle but then had one of his best games of the season with 26 points, including five three-pointers. Lucas Orchard, Jacen Holloway and IV Pettit can all score when they want to but when they create, Cieslak has seized his opportunity to hit from the outside and expand Devon Prep’s offensive attack.

Allen Cieslak was proud of the Tide's victory over Judge - video/James Williamson

Lucas Orchard said sharing the ball was the key to victory - Video/James Williamson

Kevair Kennedy, Father Judge: The Crusaders are hoping for a second half push to make the playoffs and Kennedy’s emergence will certainly help with that. With all the attention catered to Kyle Jones (15.0 ppg) and Ernest Shelton (12.6), the 6-foot freshman has begun to find his way in his first varsity season, avg. 11.0 ppg over the last four games. He started things off with 11 points against Archbishop Wood then added 15-point performances vs. Neumann-Goretti and La Salle. Kennedy is the leader of head coach Chris Roantree’s first full class at Father Judge and he’s already proving what he can do.

Devon Prep vs. Father Judge - PSD Game Highlights by James Williamson:

Philadelphia Catholic League Standings Through Jan. 30

Archbishop Wood (8-0)

Roman Catholic (7-1)

West Catholic (7-1)

Archbishop Ryan (6-2)

Neumann-Goretti (3-1)

La Salle (4-2)

Devon Prep (4-3)

Cardinal O’Hara (4-4)

Archbishop Carroll (3-4)

Father Judge (2-6)

St. Joe’s Prep (2-6)

Bonner-Prendergast (1-5)

Lansdale Catholic (0-7)

Conwell-Egan (0-9)

Neumann-Goretti's Aamir Hurst talks about the Saints 3-point success in their 54-45 victory vs. St. Joe's Prep: Video by James Williamson

NG's Masud Stewart gives credit to St. Joe's Prep saying they are a team to watch in the coming years:

Neumann-Goretti vs. St. Joseph's Prep - PSD Game Highlights by James Williamson: